Draco's Change of Heart
by Grey Eyed Maiden
Summary: Draco has become a changed man-a second Harry Potter, and is loves by all. But can Harry overcome his suspicions (and perhaps jealousy) and embrace this new Malfoy? Or will he bar Draco's tranformation?
1. The Shocking Truth

Grey Eyed Maiden: Hello. This is my first Harry Potter fic and well I hope it's good but I think reviews would help a lot.

_Please excuse my flagrant use of commas, I fear that my deficiency in proper comma usage has caused me to over-use them, and if my writing is awkward because of that then I hope you will excuse me. Also I know that in the following there are many alarming run-on sentences but due to my inexpert sentence construction skills I was unable to fix them so I hope you'll bear with me. _

Summary: Over the summer Draco has become a changed man, he's become a second Harry Potter, and everyone loves him. But can Harry, suddenly cast from the limelight, overcome his suspicions (and perhaps jealousy) and embrace this new Malfoy? Or will he bar Draco's ascension to hero status? And even more pressing is the question of whether Draco's transformation is in fact permanent.

Disclaimer: Unfortunately I do not own the rights to the delightful characters that populate _Harry Potter_, JK Rowlings holds this claim and she seems rather unwilling to relinquish it.

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Chapter One: The Shocking Truth

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Harry stood before the scarlet engine of the Hogwarts train, the summer vacation finally over he was about to enter his 6th year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where he was regarded as something of hero due to his amazing ability to survive death wishes by powerful dark wizards. He stepped onto the train feeling slightly out of place without his two inseparable best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione. He passed many different compartments searching for his best friends. As he walked through the trains he caught snippets of conversations, all of which seemed to be concerning a story, which seemed for once to have nothing to do with Harry. He caught snippets of conversations, "Didja hear?" "I _know_!" "I heard that too." "Can you believe how brave he is? Not to mention dreamy!" The comments served to aggravate Harry slightly as his curiosity was piqued by the prospect of something exciting having happened over break, but the lack of information garnered was irritating. He felt more out of the loop than usual, having spent the summer vacation with the Dursley's in Majorca. Not that they got on any better there than at home, but the change of scenery had been nice in alleviating Harry's depression over the sudden death of his godfather, Sirius Black. However he had been completely cut off from the wizarding world at large, and had no clue what had occurred while he had been soaking up the sun.

Harry was significantly surprised at the reception he received on the train. He was quite used to having fellow students gawk at him, to have first years breathlessly ask if he was indeed _the _Harry Potter. Not only that but even those in his own year were known to wave and call out to him. This year a few first years gawked at his forehead and a few nodded at him while deep in conversation with one another, but they seemed, to Harry, rather unimpressed. He got the expected calls of greeting and waves from his fellow Gryffindors, along with a scattered number of friends from other houses, Ernie Macmillan, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Luna Lovegood (who was reading a copy of _The Quibbler _and waved rather absentmindedly) and Cho Chang. Harry realized with a start that for the first time in his six years in the wizarding world he was being treated almost normal. He certainly felt normal being glared at by a bunch of indignant 3rd year girls whose whispered conversations he'd broken short with his appearance in their compartment. _ 'Isn't this what you always wanted? To be normal?'_ said the voice in the back of his head as he muttered an apology to the girls who were now looking at him with disapproval. Having been treated as a celebrity for nigh on six years, Harry's sinking to a level of almost obscurity and vague interest, was rather shocking to him. Of course, Harry chastened himself silently, he was over-reacting; it was only the first day back, he could not expect his first day to be a reflection of the year to come.

He broke from his revelries and spotted a fiery red head in the next compartment. Ron was not hard to spot even sitting with his back to Harry, as he seemed, impossibly, to have grown even taller and ganglier over the summer. Hermione was sitting with him of course, chattering happily about her plans to create study schedules for their N.E.W.T.s. Ron seemed dismayed at this, and protested, saying "But Hermione, N.E.W.T.s aren't until the end of next year!"

Hermione ignored Ron and said breezily "Hello Harry!"

Ron turned to Harry and looked at him, aghast and said wonderingly, "Did you hear that? I declare she's barking mad, absolutely barking mad!" Harry grinned at Ron's horror-struck expression.

He flopped down in the seat next to Ron and asked them what everyone was talking about. Ron and Hermione shared an almost guilty look, and began to talk at once.

"Well, you see Harry..."

"Don't take this personally mate but…"

They shared another look and breathing in, said as one

"It's Malfoy."

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GEM: Well that's just the first chapter, sorry it's so short, on paper it looked much longer. But…reviews?


	2. Harry's Hatred

Grey-Eyed-Maiden: OK second chapter up…

Any reviews/suggestions/comments posted would be appreciated immensely.

This chapter will be longer, but mostly just conversations back and forth…

Disclaimer: Unfortunately for me the characters found in Harry Potter belong to JK Rowlings and not myself. I claim right to nothing but the story plot + story idea.

Summary: Over the summer Draco has become a changed man, he's become a second Harry Potter, and everyone loves him. But can Harry, suddenly cast from the limelight, overcome his suspicions (and perhaps jealousy) and embrace this new Malfoy? Or will he bar Draco's ascension to hero status? Even more pressing is the question of whether Draco's transformation is in fact permanent.

I'm sorry about the comma mistakes…they are hopefully improving but….they still are flagrant.

Last chapter: 

Harry, at the start of his 6th year of Hogwarts, has learned that his rival, Draco Malfoy is the subject of stories that are flying through the Hogwarts Express

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**Chapter 2: Harry's Hatred**

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"_Well, you see Harry..."_

"_Don't take this personally mate but…"_

_They shared another look and breathing in, said as one_

"_It's Malfoy."_

Harry's response was immediate and instinctive, "What? What about Malfoy? What happened?"

The other two shared a wry expression and started to explain. Harry could scarcely believe what they were telling him but there was little doubt that all they said was true.

It seemed that Malfoy, unlike Harry, had been doing quite a lot over summer vacation. According to Ron, Malfoy had contacted Dumbledore with information concerning the Death Eaters and Lord Voldemort. Owing to the fact that his father was a high ranking Death Eater who often held meetings at his mansion, Draco was able to collect information to pass on to Dumbledore. With the information obtained by Draco, hundreds of lives were saved.

As Ron and Hermione finished telling Harry this, they eyed him uneasily, waiting for his response. They did not have long to wait, "Do you actually believe this?" Harry demanded, disbelieving.

Ron shared another look with Hermione and the two seemed unwilling to divulge their opinion on the Slytherin boy in question.

"Well?" Harry prompted.

Hermione sighed and said slowly, "Well, Harry, I do actually." Seeing Harry's expression she asked, "Doesn't everyone deserve a second chance?"

"Not scum like Malfoy," Harry muttered. Then he threw a sharp glance at Ron and said, "Don't tell me….not you as well?"

Ron's ears went slightly pink, and he had the decency to look slightly shamefaced as he said, "Yeah, I do," adding earnestly, "Harry, I tell you, he's really changed, well he's still a bit of a jerk but he's on our side now."

"So I see you were taken in by his act as well," Harry said coldly.

"What are you talking about Harry?" Hermione said.

"Isn't it obvious? He's taken you for total suckers-"

"Harry it isn't like that!" Hermione cried, interrupting him.

"And then someday" Harry continued undeterred, "he'll turn coat and join up with his old man and his pal Voldemort."

Hermione gasped slightly but Harry ignored her.

Turning on Ron, Harry said, "Ron, would you mind telling me why you're suddenly so chummy with Malfoy? Last I checked you hated him same as me."

Ron's ears went pink again but he stared Harry straight in the eye as he explained that it was only thanks to Draco that his father was still alive and well. "Draco uncovered a plot to kidnap my father, wrest from him any information about Dumbledore's plans, and then kill him gruesomely and leave him as a reminder of what happens to those who resist the Death Eaters and Voldemort. Malfoy immediately alerted Dumbledore and the plot was foiled."

This revelation left Harry speechless. The idea that he might have been entirely wrong about Malfoy began to entangle his thoughts. Then he recalled anew all that Malfoy had done, from getting him a detention as a first year, to his far more recent attempts to sack Dumbledore and Hagrid. Harry banished the thoughts of Malfoy's innocence with an angry shake of his head and renewed his attack.

"He'll betray us," Harry said finality.

"Harry no!" Hermione exclaimed.

"He's no good," Harry said firmly.

"Harry why is it so hard to believe that Draco can change."

"He's a Malfoy," Harry said in a dead voice, "He's bad to the core."

Hermione sighed exasperatedly, "He's one of us now!"

"He'll never be one of us," Harry snarled. "Malfoy is not like us, Hermione; I don't care what he's done to help us. I bet," Harry added, gathering steam, "I bet that he's communicating secretly with his father."

"Honestly Harry, do you really believe that?" Hermione asked wearily.

"It's totally plausible," Harry snapped, "since when do you care anyway? You never liked him. I suppose you've fallen for him," Harry said savagely, "I suppose you fancy him and his troubled hero act."

"Really Harry," Hermione said viciously, "Malfoy has changed, which is more than can be said for you."

"Why are you _defending_ him?" Harry said glaring at her.

"Why are you _attacking_ him?" Hermione retorted.

Harry paused as unbridled anger took hold of him, "HE KILLED SIRIUS!" He screamed, tears forming in the corners of his eyes.

"Honestly Harry," Hermione said waspishly, "You know fully well that Draco wasn't even there and it was Beatrix Lestrange who killed Sirius."

"It doesn't matter whether he was there or not," Harry said, "he probably knew all about the plot to break in to the Dept. of Mysteries."

"So what?" Hermione said furiously. "The point is that that was then and this is now! Dumbledore trusts him, why can't you?"

"He's a Malfoy, all Malfoy's are Dark wizards!"

"Harry I thought you of all people would know that all that is a load of rot! You're related to Dudley, yet you couldn't be more different!"

"That's totally different," Harry argued, "we're only cousins."

"Well what about Sirius Black," Hermione countered. "his relatives were as rotten as the Malfoys, and look at what he had for a mum!" Hermione was referring of course to Mrs. Black, Sirius's mother, whose portrait they'd had the misfortune to meet last summer. "If Sirius could turn out good out good then can't Malfoy?"

At this comment, Harry lost it, he grabbed his wand "Are you daring to compare Draco Malfoy to my Godfather?" he thundered. "Malfoy is a rotten excuse for a human being who wasn't fit to lick Sirius' shoes!"

Suddenly the door to the compartment slid back and Harry heard a familiar voice drawl, "Well now Potter, really, is that how you treat your allies?"

GEM: Well it's not much of a cliffhanger but comments would be awesome.


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